Die for forming or shaping ladies&#39; hats.



No. 7 |0,6|0. v Patented 'ct. 7, i902.

M. QUINN; D-IE FOB FBMNG'H SHAPING LADIES' HATS.

(Application led Aug. 16; 1902.)

Z6) EMA.

(lo Model.)

lA v 1.1i l im illriirnn STATES PATENT rrion.

MICHAEL QUINN, OF MIIVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DlE FOR FORMING OR SHAPING LADIES HATS.

SPECIFECATION forming; part of Letters Patent No. 710,610, dated October 7, 1902.

Application filed Angust16.1902. Serial No. 119,864. me model.)

To (/.ZZ 1071/0111/ t may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL QUINN, residing at Milwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dies for Forming or Shaping Ladies I'Iats, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in dies for forming or shaping ladies hats com posed of felt, mohair, or other suitable cloth.

The object is to provide a simple construc- -tion of die wherein the brim and crown of the hat, and particularly the sides of the crown, are very quickly shaped or given the desired form.

vWith the above primary object and other incidental objects in view the invention consists of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, parts being in section and parts broken away and showing the crown-block raised and the wedges raised ready to be forced down against the sides of the brim of the hat. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Iiig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the crown-block lowered and the wedges engaging and pressing against the sides of the hat; and Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the wedges.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates the base-section of the die, provided with a central depression 6, in which movably fits a crown-block 7. The lower portion of this crown-block, which is seated in the depression, is shaped to conform to the shape of the bordering wall of said depression, so as to be capable of freely moving in the depression, while the upper portion of said block is shaped to conform to the shape which is to be given to the crown of the hat. In the present illustration of the invention I have shown the upper portion of this crown-block as of flaring shape-that is, gradually enlarging toward the upper end thereof. The raised portion around the central depression of the base-section 5 is indicated by the numeral S, and the upper surface of this raised portion is contoured or shaped to conform to the shape which it is desired should be given to l the brim of the hat. In the drawings I show this surface slightly concave, except at its outer edge, where it is cut downwardly at an abrupt bevel. The brim of the hat, therefore, when the particular contour described is given to the surface of the raised portion S will necessarily he given a corresponding shape. It will of course be understood, however, lhat any desired form may be given to the surface of the raised projection 8, so as to give to the brim of the hat any desired shape. Suitable means must be employed for moving the crown-block in the central -depression 7. I prefer to provide the construction shown in the drawings, consisting of a stud 9, extending from the outer or under face of the crown-block and projecting through an opening therefor in the base-section 5 of the die and acted upon by a cam lO, fast on a shaft 1l, said shaft turning in bearings 12, projecting from the base-section of the die, and provided at one end with a suitable handle 13 for operating it.

The upper section of the die is indicated by the numeral 14 and is provided with a central opening 15, which is adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, but of sufficiently greater diameter than the crownblock so as to leave a space between said crown block and the bordering wall of the opening. The under side of this upper section 14: is shaped to conform to the shape of the su rface of the raised portion 8. Projecting from this section 14E are legs 16 16, connected by a connecting-piece or handle 17. Any desirable means (not shown) may be provided for forcing down the upper section la. The inner bordering wall of the opening 15 is beveled or tapered, so as to gradually narrow the opening toward the lower end thereof- A series of wedges 1S are provided, and these wedges have thei router faces bev-v eled to correspond to the bevel of the bordering wall of the opening l5 and are adapted to be forced into the space between said bordering wall and the outer surface of the upper section of the crown-block. These wedges may be forced into said space and removed therefrom by hand. I prefer, however, to provide mechanical means for accomplishing this, and in the drawings I show for the purpose a plate 19. This plate is cut out at its IOC) outer edge so as to leave projecting bearinglugs 20, and the spaces between these bearing-lugs receive projections from the upper edges of the wedges, a pivot-pin 21 being passed through each of said lugs and through the projections of the wedges lying therebetween. The wedges therefore are pivoted to and depend from the under side of the plat-e 19 and are in line to pass downwardly into the space between the bordering wall of the opening 15 and the outer surface of the upper portion of the crown-block when the plate 19 is lowered. Various means for raising or lowering the plate may be adopted, and in the accompanying illustration of the device I show for that purpose a lever 22, said lever having its inner end forked,the furcate arms formed thereby being provided with outwardly-extending lateral pivots 23 23, which enter horizontally-elongated slots 24, formed in ears 25 25, extending upwardly from the upper side of the plate 19. The forked members of the lever 22 straddle the connectingbar or handle 17 and are pivoted thereto on a pivot-pin 26.

In the operation of my invention the rst step is to raise the crown-block to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, this being accomplished by turning the handle 13 in the proper direction. The felt is then placed over the upper portion of the crownblock and carried outwardly over the upper surface of the raised portion 8 of the lower section 5 of the die. The upper section of the die is now brought downwardly with force by any desired means to the position shown in Fig. 1, and this will have the eirect of giving the proper contour to the brim of the hat. The next step is to lower the crown-block, and the final step is to push the wedges 18 downwardly into the space between the bordering wall of the opening 15 and the outer side of the upper portion of the crown-block. From the fact that the outer sides of the wedges are on a bevel corresponding to the bevel of the bordering wall of the opening 15 theinner faces of the wedges when said wedges are lowered are necessarily pressed against the sides of the crown of the hat and cause said sides to be given a shape corresponding to the shape of the exterior surface of the upper portion of the crown-block, which in the construction shown in the drawings would be a flaring contour. Of course any other desired shape could be given to the sides of the crown of the hat by properly shaping the upper portion of the crown-block and the inner faces of the wedges. In the operation of the mechanism shown in the drawings for lowering and raising the plate 19 and the wedges carried thereby all that is necessary' to be done is to turn the lever 22 in the proper direction. When it is desired to lower the plate 19 and the wedges 18, this is accomplished by raising the outer end of the lever 22. Vthen it is desired to raise the plate 19 and the wedges 18, this is accomplished by lowering the outer end of the lever 22. After the hat is given the proper shape in the manner hereinbefore described and the wedges 18 are drawn upwardly means should be provided for removing the felt or cloth of which the hat is composed, inasmuch as the flaring shape of the upper Vportion of the crown-block, unless provision is made for this purpose, would prevent this being accomplished. In order, therefore, to provide a convenient means for removing the felt after the proper shape has been given thereto, I make a section of the crown-block removable. This removable section is indicated by the numeral 27 and is seated in a recess 2S, provided therefor in the crown-block. The inner side of this removable section is on a bevel and rests against a correspondinglybeveled wall of the crown-block. It is obvious from this construction that when the wedges 18 are raised the removable section 27 of the crown-block is also raised, and this permits the ready disengagement of the felt from the crown-block. 1f desired, of course the crown-block may have two or more of the removable or separate sections.

In regard to the plate 19, while I show the under side thereof flat yet it will be understood that any desired shape may be given to said under side in order to give to the top of the crown of the hat any desired form. For instance, the under side of said plate may be convex, and hence the top of the crown of the hat will thereby be given a concave form.

Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a lower base-section provided with a depression, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the basesection and having its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat, and adapted to have the material of the hat placed thereover, means for raising or lowering said crown-block in the depression, an upper section having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion Vof the crownblock, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, and wedging mechanism adapted to be forced into the space between the upper portion of the crown-block, and the bordering wall of the opening of the upper section. k

2. In a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a base-section provided with a depression and with a raised portion surrounding the depression, the upper surface of said raised portion being shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the rim of the hat, a crown-block mo'vably fitting in the depression of the base-section and having its'upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat, and adapted to have the material of the hat placed thereover, said material extending onto the surface of the raised portion of the base-section of the die, means for raising or IOO IIO

lowering said crown-block in the depression, an upper die-section having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, and said die-section having its under surface shaped to conform to the opposed surface of the raised portion of the lower die-section, and wedges adapted to be inserted in the space between the upper portion of the crownblock and the bordering wall of the opening of the upper section of the die.

3. ln a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a hase-section provided with a depression and with a raised nortion surrounding the depression, the upper portion of said raised portion being shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the rim of the hat, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the base-section and having its upper portion of upwardlj,7 daring shape, and adapted to have the material of the hat placed thereover, said material eX- tending onto the surface of the raised portion of the hase-section of the die, means for raising or lowering said crown-block in the depression,an upper die-section havinga central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, and said die-section having its under surface shaped to conform to the opposed surface of the raised portion of the lower diesection, and wedges adapted to be forced into the space between the upper portion of the crown-block and the bordering wall of the upper section of the die, and thereb)vv force thc material of the hat against the daring surface of the crown-block.

l. In a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a base-section provided with a depression and with a raised portion surrounding the depression, the upper surfaceof said raised portion being shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the rim of the hat, a crown-block niovably fitting in the depression of the base-section and having its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat, and adapted to have the material of the hat placed thereover, said material extending onto the surface of the raised portion of the base-section of the die, a section of the upper portion of said crown-block being movable or separable, means for raising or lowering` said crown-block in the depression, an upper diesectiou having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, and said die-section having its under surface shaped to conform to the opposed surface of the raised portion of the lower die-section, and wedges adapted to be forced into the space between the upper portion of the crown-block and the bordering wall of the opening of the upper section of the die.

In a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a base-section provided with a depression and with a raised portion surrounding the depression, the upper surface of said raised portion being shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the rim of the hat, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the base-section and having its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat, and adapted to have the material of the hat placed thereover, said material extending onto the surface of the raised portion of the base-section of the die, said crown-block having a stud extending from its under or outer face and through an opening in the base-section of the die, a cam, means for rotating said cam so as to cause the same to act on the stud and thereby raise or lower the crown-block in the depression, an upper die-section havingr a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, and said die-section having its under surface shaped to conform to the opposed surface of the raised portion of the lower die-section, and wedges adapted to be forced into the space between the upper portion of the crown-block and the bordering wall of the upper section of the die. Y

6. In a die for shaping,r or forming ladies hats, the combination of a lower base-section provided with a depression, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the basesection and having its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat and adapted to have thematerial of the hat placed thereover, means for raising or lowering said crown-block in the depressionfan upper section having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, a

Vplate above the upper portion of the crownblock, and having wedging mechanism depending therefrom, means for moving said plate toward and from the crown-block, thc movement of the plate toward the crown-block forcing the wedging mechanism into the space between the crown-block, and the bordering wall of the opening of the upper section, and the movement of the plate away from the crown-block withdrawing said wedging mechanism from said space.

7. ln a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of alowerbase-section provided with a depression, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the basesection and having its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown of the hat, and adapted to have thc material of the hat placed thereover, means for raising or lowering said crown-block in the depression, an upper section having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled, a

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plate above the upper portion of the crownblock, Wedges pivoted to and depending from said plate, and means for moving the plate to- Ward and from the crown-block, the movement of the plate toward the crown-block forcing the wedges into the space between the crown-block and the bordering Wall ofthe upper section, and the movement of the plate away from the crown-block withdrawing said Wedges from said space.

8. In a die for shaping or forming ladies hats, the combination of a lower base-seotion provided With a depression, a crown-block movably fitting in the depression of the basesection, and having' its upper portion shaped to conform to the shape to be given to the crown ofthe hat, and adapted to have the material of the hat plaeed thereover, means for raising orlowering said crown-block in the depression, an upper section having a central opening larger than and adapted to surround the upper portion of the crown-block, the bordering wall of said opening being beveled,

and said upper section also provided with projecting legs connected by a connectingbar, a plate above the upper portion of the crown-block and having Wedging mechanism depending therefrom, and a leverpivoted to the connecting-bar of the legs of the upper section, the inner end of said lever engaging the plate so as to move said plate toward or from the crown-block, depending upon the direction of operation of the lever, the Inovement of the plate toward the crown-block forcing the wedging mechanism into the space between the crown-block and the bordering Wall of the opening, and the movement of the plate away from the crown-block Withdrawing the wedging mechanism from said space.

In testimon7 whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL vQUINN.

lVitnesses:

A. L. MoRsELL, J. EDWARD QUINN. 

